Cabinet construction



y 9 G. F. FORSTHOEFEL CABINET CONSTRUCTION 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Original Filed Jan. 19, 1935 22 24 INVENTOR GREGG F. FORSTHOEFELE y 1939- G. F. FORSTHOEFEL CABINET CONSTRUCTION Original Filed Jan. 19, 1935 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 I [N VEN TOR GREGG F. F'ORSTHOEFEL TToR l i y 18, 1939- G. F. FORSTHOEEEL 2,166,630

CABINET CONSTRUCTION Original Filed Jan. 19, 1933 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 [N VEN TOR Fig 5 GREGG FZF'oRsTHOEFEL.

A TTORY Patented July 18, 1939 I PATENT o cs I CABINET CONSTRUCTION Gregg F. Forsthoeiel, Adrian, Mich" assignor to Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Company, East Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation oi Pennsylvania Original application January 19, less, Serial No. 652,582. Divided and um application May as. 1939, Serial No. 215m 8Clailus. (Cl 226-9) This application is adivision of my copending application Serial No. 652,562, filed January 19, 1933.

My invention relates to cabinets for refrigerators and the like, more particularly to a doublewail heat-insulated cabinet, and it has for an object to provide an improved cabinet construction.

A further object is to provide an improved 10 means for mounting the breaker strips which extend between the edges of the inner and outer wall members at the door opening to close the space between said wall members.

A particular object is to provide means for mounting the breaker strips more quickly, in

order to reduce the cost of manufacture. I

A further object is to provide a cabinet body which may bemanufactured at low cost.

A further object is to provide an improved reirigerator door construction.

- In accordance with my invention, 1 provide a breaker strip having a groove at one lateral edge engaging the edge of the inner wall of thecablnet.

. Spring means are provided for retaining the other as edge oi the breaker strip against a flange at the adjacent edge of the outer wall and-for yieldlngly maintaining the groove in engagement with the edge oi the inner wall. I v

In accordance with a further feature 01 my .sc invention, the outer sheet metal casing oi the cabinet comprises one sheet .iorming the front wall and the adjacent marginal portions of the side walls. and a separate sheet or sheets forming the remaining portions of the side walls and the u The adjoining edges or the side wallportions have inwardly-extending flanges clamped together by spring clips.

The above and other objects are efl'ectedby my invention as will be apparent from the following description and claims taken in connection with theaccon panying drawingsiormingapart oithis application in which: 7

Fig. 1 is a perspective view oi the cabinet as- Fig. 51s a vertical sectional view of the cabinet, taken along the line V--V of Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawings more in detail, I show, in Fig. 1, a cabinet ill having a food compartment t and a compartment 9 for the refrigg erating unit (not shown), the latter compartment being shown in this case above the food compartment. The cabinet ll comprises an outer casing I l and a one-piece inner casing or liner I: for the food compartment, both casings being preferably 10 made of sheet metal. The inner surface of the liner is preferably provided with a finish oi porcelain enamel, while the exterior of the outer casing .iilled with suitable heat-insulating material. In

the present embodiment, the heat-insulating material includes; as shown in Fig. 2, package insulation as, loose fibrous insulation u. and ,5

preferably relatively rigid insulating material,

such as fCelotex" or cork board, between the rear walls or the casings.

Theouter casing ii includes a. single sheet member It forming the front wall, with a door 5 opening l'l iormed therein having inturned flanges II at its edges, and also forming the ad-. i iacent vertical marginalpcrtions ll oitheside walls. Sheet members I! form the remaining portions 01' the respective sides, said' members havingflangesflat theirrearedges,towhicha rear wall II is suitably attached, as by screws 2:. The'adiacent edges oi'the side wall portions ll and I! of each side wall are formed with flanges II and 26, respectively,-extending inwardly in side-by-slde relation. The flange It is continued to form a forwardly-extending portion 21. The flanges II and it are clamped together by means. of a spring clip or clamp ring construction 28.

The clip it may be, as shown, continuous from top tobottomoi the cabinet. The flanges 2lv bearagainstthe edges oitheflanges 2! toretain the side wall portions is againstoutward movement,the flanges 2i being part of the single sheet member It, so that separating movement of the a" side wall portions it is prevented. The side wall portions are retained against inward movement toward each other by the heat insulation II, and the liner l2, thereby retaining the side wall portions llinalignm'ent with-the side wall portion It. n

The outer casing lli'urther'includes a top wall member it and a bottom wall member 8],

eaehoiwhichhasaflangeflattherearedge secured to the rear wall 24 byscrews. The forwsrdedgesoithetopandbottomwallmembcrs- '28 and ll are connected by screws to supporting members 13 and 34, which are connected by spot welding to the flanges II at the upper and lower edges of the door opening II. The spot welding on the upper flange 33 is above the line of vision, while that on the lower flange I3 is partly covered by the lower breaker strip and is relatively inconspicuous for the reason that the visible portion of the flange is narrow. Metal finishing to remove the welding spots is, therefore, not necessary. The supports 33' and 34 are formed to flt against the front wall and the flanges I8, as shown on the drawings, and by making these supports separate from the members I! and 3!, smaller blanks, which are more suitable to the forming or blanking operation,

may be used. By the use of the supporting members 33' and, the dimensions of the top and bottom wall members 29 and II are reduced to the extent that one of these wall members may be formed of the sheet metal cut out from the sheet member I. in forming the door opening II. In the present embodiment, the top wall member 29 is thus formed.

The top wall of the food compartment is formed with an opening 35 for the insertion of the evaporator from the top into the food compartment. The adjacent edges of the casings are connected by a breaker strip 38, of any suitable material of low heat conductivity, such as stainless steel or rubber.

The liner I2 is anchored to the outer casing II by means of bolts 31 and insulating tubular spacers 38 extending between the rear walls of the casings. Fiber washers II are preferably disposed under the heads .of the bolts 31 tobreak the heat path between the casings through the bolts.

The liner i2 is provided with an opening in the front side registering with the opening II of the outer casing. In the present embodiment, the entire front side of the liner is open, the forward edges of the top, bottom, and side walls of the liner extending forwardly toward the inwardly-extending flanges 33, which are formed along the edges of the door opening l'l.

Breaker strips ll, extending between the flanges 33 and the adjacent edges of the liner II are provided to close the space between the casings around the door opening. In accordance with the present invention, the breaker strips are of improved construction, enabling mounting thereof in the cabinet in a shorter period of time. They are made of any suitable material having low heat conductivity, for example, wood, resinous condensation product, etc. Each breaker strip is formed with a groove 42 at one lateral edge, into which the adjacent edge of the liner I2 is inserted. The other lateral edge of the breaker strip bears against the outer side of the adjacent flange 33. As shown in Figs. 2'and 3, spring members 43 are attached to the back side of the breaker strip and bear against the inner surface of the flange 33 to retain the adjacent edge of the-breaker strip against the flange.

Spring members 44 are also attached to the back side of the breaker strip and bear against the inner surface of the front wall, for the purpose of biasing the breaker strip toward the rear of the cabinet, which is longitudinally of the crosssection of the breaker strip, in order to retain the grooved edge of the breaker strip in engagement with the adjacent edge of the liner.

The breaker strips II are attached after the inner and outer casings t assembled into a unit. The spring members 43 and N are flrst engaged under the flange a, and the breaker strip is then brought forward, the spring members 44 being deflected away from the flange I3. The rear edge of the breaker strip is moved transversely into alignment with the adjacent edge of the liner. The breaker strip is then moved rearwardly until the liner edge engages the bottom of the groove 42, allowing the springs 44 to move toward the flange 33. The breaker strip now occupies the position shown in the drawings, particularly Fig. 2, and serves as a seat or stop for the door of the cabinet. The forward edge of the breaker strip is retained against the flange 33 by the springs 43, which bias the forward edge transversely of the breaker strip, while the springs 44 bias the strip longitudinally'of its cross section to engage the groove 42 with the adjacent edge of the liner.

The cabinet is provided, as shown in Fig. 2, with a door 45 fltting in the door opening i1, said door having an outer wall 46 and an inner wall 41, both preferably of sheet metal. The inner wall is provided with forwardly-extending flanges 48 which close the space between the inner and outer walls. The marginal portions of the outer wall 46 are flrst bent toward the inner side of the door as shown at It and then bent reversely as shown at 49, to provide a flange for the door. Angle pieces having two sides 50 and Si are provided, the sides SI being inserted under the reversely bent portions 49 and retained therein by driving in flller pieces 52 under the sides ll. At the corners of the door, the ends of the sides ll of the angle pieces overlap and are secured to each other and to the reversely bent portion II, as by screws 53, shown in Fig. 4. The outer wall is laid on its front face and package insulation 84 and loose flbrous insulation 55 is placed thereon as shown in Fig. 2. A rubber gasket II is placed on the reversely bent portion and the angle pieces, and then the inner wall is brought down on the assembly and secured thereto by screws 8'! extending through the flanges ll and the sides ii of the angle pieces, which are spaced by the gasket I. to provide minimum heat path between thevinner and outer walls.

From the above description, it will be seen that I have provided a cabinet, the parts of which comprise relatively small and simple stampings, thereby enabling rapid punch press operation and making for ease of handling, and wherein said parts may be joined to each other in a simple and inexpensive manner in assembling the cabinet, resulting in low cost of manufacture. Welding of visible parts which requires expensive metal finishing is avoided. s

The breaker strips may be very quickly mounted, after the inner and outer casings have been assembled. They engage the adjacent edges of the liner l2 throughout the full lengths of these edges; so that the door closing thrust is evenly distributed to the liner, thereby reducing the danger of cracking the porcelain enamel on the liner.

While I have shown my invention in but one form, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that it is not so limited, but is susceptible of various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit thereof,'and I desire, therefore, that only such limitations shall be placed thereupon as are specifically set forth in the appended claims.

What I claim is;

1. In a cabinet for refrigerators and the like,

the combination of inner and outer sheet metal wall members and a breaker strip connecting adjacent edge portions of said wall members, said breaker strip having a groove receiving the edge portion of one wall member and having spring means biasing said breaker strip longitudinally of its cross section againstsaid edge portion and transversely against the edge portion of the other wall member.

2. In a cabinet for refrigerators and the like, the combination of inner and outer casings disposed in spaced relation and having a door opening and edge portions at the door opening extending toward each other, a breaker strip extending between said edge portions, said breaker strip having a groove at one edge for engaging one of'said edge portions, means for positioning the other edge of the strip against the other edge portion, said means permitting the breaker strip to be moved longitudinally of its cross section for engaging or disengaging said groove and first edge portion, and means for retaining said grooved edge in engagement with the first edge portion.

3. In a cabinet for refrigerators and the like, the combination of inner and outer casings disposed in spaced relationv and having a door opening and edge portions at the door opening extending toward each other, a breaker strip extending between said edge portions, said breaker strip having a groove at one edge for engaging one of said edge portions, means for biasing the other edge of the strip against the outer edge portion, said means permitting the breaker strip to be moved longitudinally of its cross section for engaging or disengaging said groove and first edge portion, and means for biasing said grooved edge into engagement with the first edge portion.

4. A double-wall heat-insulated cabinet having a door opening in its front side comprising a liner having walls extending forwardly, an outer casing having a front wall marginal portion and a flange at the edge of the door opening extending toward the forward edge portion of the adjacent wall of the liner, a breaker strip connecting said flange and said edge portion,

said breaker strip having a groove at one lateral edge receiving said edge portion, means for biasing'said breaker strip longitudinally of its cross section against said edge'portion. means biasing the opposite edge of the breaker strip transversely against said fllnlwand a door for the cabinet, said other edge of the breaker strip constituting a stop for the door.

s. a double-wall cabinet for mum. and

the like having a door opening in its front side and comprising inner and outer casings arranged in spaced relation, the outer casing including a front wall portion having an inwardly extending flange at the door opening, said inner casing having an edgeportion adjacent said flange and extending toward said flange, a breaker strip for the door opening having a groove in one edge in which said edge portion is received, the other edge of the breaker strip being disposed on the outer side, of said flange and in overlapping relation thereto, a spring member on the inner side of the'breaker strip for biasing said other edge transversely against said flange, and a second spring member attached on the inner side of the breaker strip and engaging the inner side of said front wall portion for biasing the breaker strip longitudinally of its cross section into engagement with said edge portion.

6. A cabinet as defined in claim 5, further includinga door in said door opening, and wherein the breaker strip constitutes a stop for the door.

wall members and a breaker strip connecting adjacent end portions of said wall members, said breaker strip having a surface abutting the end 7 portion of one wall member and having spring means biasing said breaker strip-longitudinally oi its cross section against said end portion and transversely against the end portion of the other wall member.

8. In a cabinet for refrigerators having a door opening, the combination of inner and outer wall members having a space between them peripherally of the door opening, a breaker strip bridging the spaced apart wall members, means asso-' ciated with the breaker strip for preventing one edge thereof on one side of said space for moving longitudinally of the cross section of the breaker strip in one direction as well as transversely of its cross section, but permitting movement of the breaker strip longitudinally of its cross section in the other direction, the other edge oi the breaker strip freely engaging said.

rection to retain said one edge of the breaker strip in position on said cabinet and transversely of its cross section to retain said other edge of the breaker strip in engagement with the cabinet.

came I. r ons'rnom 

